Dr. Ron Mitchelson, a professor in the Department of Geography and a senior research fellow, has been named interim vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at East Carolina University effective June 1.

Mitchelson

Mitchelson has been at ECU since 1999. He has chaired the geography department and served as interim chair of the English department. In 2011 he was appointed to chair the Program Prioritization Committee, which evaluated programs campus wide and examined the university’s academic structure. That committee identified and recommended changes that could save as much as $4 million.

“Ron Mitchelson has proven himself to be a strong leader across many assignments at ECU,” Chancellor Steve Ballard said. “I’m very confident in his abilities to lead this division, and I’m especially impressed by his commitment to ECU and his capacity for teamwork.”

As interim, Mitchelson will have responsibility for sponsored research, graduate education, technology transfer and research compliance. His salary is $200,000 a year.

Mitchelson said he plans to evaluate the division’s efficiency and will seek ways to involve more students in research.

“We’ll be taking a very close look at how we conduct our business over the next few months,” Mitchelson said.

“One of my personal interests is to expand the engagement of undergraduate as well as graduate students within our university’s research enterprise,” he said. “All students, along with our region, benefit greatly from that type of experience.”

Mitchelson graduated from the State University of New York in Buffalo in 1975 with a bachelor’s in geography. He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in geography from The Ohio State University.